What is the difference between LCL and FCL?

LCL is less than container load — your goods share. FCL is full container load — the container is yours alone. They are the international equivalents of a part load and a dedicated vehicle.

Are destination charges included in your quotations?

We state explicitly either way, on every international quotation. Ask the same question of everybody else you approach, in those words.

What is unaccompanied baggage?

Your belongings shipped separately from you rather than as airline luggage. Several countries apply a time limit relative to your own arrival for duty relief to apply.

Do you do air freight?

For small urgent consignments, yes, and we will say plainly when it is not worth it. Air freight is priced on weight and volume in a way that punishes ordinary furniture severely.

Who prepares the customs file?

We prepare everything that comes from the inventory. The documents attached to you personally — permits, registrations, tax numbers — cannot be done for you and take longer than people plan for.

Why those four countries?

Because their vocabulary and paperwork differ most from the European pattern, and because none is explained well anywhere else. We move worldwide besides.

Means something else in the trade · I

Shipping, and its whole vocabulary

Beyond Europe the trade stops talking about vehicles and starts talking about containers, consolidation and freight. Most of the words involved belong to shipping rather than to removals, which is exactly why they trip people up.

On a domestic move, misreading a word costs you an argument. On an international one it can cost you a duty bill.

The vocabulary, translated

Groupage / LCL Your goods share a container with other consignments. The usual option.

Sole use / FCL A container carrying nothing but yours. Fewer hands, higher cost.

Unaccompanied baggage Belongings shipped separately from you rather than as luggage.

Transfer of residence The relief that waives import duty on used household goods.

Destination charges Port and terminal fees at the far end, and frequently not in a quotation.

Origin services Packing, collection and export clearance at this end, usually quoted together.

The two words that decide everything

Groupage and sole use, or their shipping equivalents LCL and FCL. A groupage consignment is consolidated with other people's at a depot, shipped, and deconsolidated at the other end — which means several handlings by people who never saw your house.

A sole-use container is loaded at your property, sealed, shipped and opened at the destination. It costs considerably more and on some routes the difference in handling is worth every penny. Ask for both figures rather than assuming one is out of reach.

The word that causes the unexpected bill

Destination charges. Port and terminal handling at the receiving end is quoted differently by different firms, and a quotation that excludes it can look dramatically cheaper than one that includes it while describing the same movement.

Ask the question in those words — are destination charges included — on every international quotation you receive, including ours.

The word that causes the unexpected duty

Unaccompanied baggage, and the time limits attached to it. Several countries grant relief on used household effects only where the goods arrive within a defined window relative to your own arrival and residence.

That is the commonest cause of a duty bill nobody expected, and it is decided by dates rather than by anything we do. Each country page names the requirement for that country specifically.

Where we go

Across Europe by road, and worldwide by sea and air. Singapore, Japan, South Africa and Qatar have their own entries because their vocabulary and their paperwork differ most from the European norm, and because none of them is well explained anywhere else.

We collect from anywhere on the UK mainland, including London, Manchester, Birmingham, Leeds, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Bristol.

"Shipping"

Questions about "shipping"

What is the difference between LCL and FCL?: LCL is less than container load — your goods share. FCL is full container load — the container is yours alone. They are the international equivalents of a part load and a dedicated vehicle.
Are destination charges included in your quotations?: We state explicitly either way, on every international quotation. Ask the same question of everybody else you approach, in those words.
What is unaccompanied baggage?: Your belongings shipped separately from you rather than as airline luggage. Several countries apply a time limit relative to your own arrival for duty relief to apply.
Do you do air freight?: For small urgent consignments, yes, and we will say plainly when it is not worth it. Air freight is priced on weight and volume in a way that punishes ordinary furniture severely.
Who prepares the customs file?: We prepare everything that comes from the inventory. The documents attached to you personally — permits, registrations, tax numbers — cannot be done for you and take longer than people plan for.
Why those four countries?: Because their vocabulary and paperwork differ most from the European pattern, and because none is explained well anywhere else. We move worldwide besides.

Not sure which word describes your move?

Both addresses, roughly what is going, and how firm the dates are. If you are unsure which service you actually need, say so — it is the commonest note we get and the easiest to answer.

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